One of the lads has an old retro custom built Geoff Butler road bike.

He needs some new wheels for it. Deffo a rear, but a pair may be nice too.

I believe it’s 8 speed, shimano cassette type. Obviously rim brakes.

So can we buy a 10 speed pair and fit them with some sort of spacer ? Or do we need an 8 speed specific hub ?

Info appreciated.

Yes you can 10speed will work fine. You just use a spacer on the ‘spoke’ side of the freehub. You may not need a spacer as 8 speed is as wide as 9/10 sometimes a little wider, believe it or not.

I have 7 and 8 speed cassettes running on newer 10 speed wheels.

Ah, that’s fantastic news and massively opens up the options.

No spacer required unless it is an 11spd freehub (and that should come with the spacer anyway)

we’ve got plenty of them anyway from previous wheels etc..

Might be worth a quick check of the hub/frame width.

For HG freehub length 8/9/10s are all the same, 11s is 1.85mm longer, 7s is 4.5mm shorter.

Certain cassettes with rivets/bolts will not seat on a flat spacer, they will need a spacer with slots for the heads.

Or go 10s, the pull ratio on the mechs in the same, just get a newer shifter (10s friction doesn’t really work reliably).

Well hes got tube mounted shifters so not sure how viable that would be.

Downtube adaptors allow you to run handlebar mounted gear shifters

Retro bikes of a certain age have slightly narrower rear hub spacing. 126mm not 130mm IIRC. On a steel frame it has never been an issue. There is enough flex to accommodate.

If its running 8speed then its already 130 or its got enough give.

I’d personally go 11peed hub. Then you can run anything from 8 now to 11 in the future.

I’d also keep the downtube shifters. With 8 speed they’re ace. Just a nice way to ride a bike. And you learn really fast to read the road ahead. No desperate last minute changes while out the saddle churning up a hill 😀

8 speed is 130mm OLN – as it was when 7 speed became the norm in the mid-80s

As above, a 10speed cassette will fit,
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/gear-shifters/shimano-duraace-sl7900-10-spd-brazeon-down-tube-shifters/
Those will pull the existing mech and work perfectly.
Edit: i use dura ace 10 speed bar end shifters pulling a 9 speed xt mech over a 10 speed cassette.
Works perfectly.